


Saltwater

by Cloudssssstuff



Category: Free!
Genre: Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 13:03:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5929420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloudssssstuff/pseuds/Cloudssssstuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>University is stressfull for Makoto, good thing that he´s got Haru</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saltwater

**Author's Note:**

> There seems to be a great lack of storys in my favourite genre, which is characters crying over minor issues and getting cuddled and pet unti they calm down, so I will be doing my best to fill that void. 
> 
> First up, someone who definitely needs to be held, Makoto Tachibana

It was freezing outside. Not only that but most of the streetlights had tragically died this winter since this part of Tokyo was too insignificant for the government to get them fixed right away. This left the streets not only cold and wet but dark as well. Without light it all looked the same and Makoto had quite some trouble finding his way home, unsure of which way to turn at most corners. Especially the thick, white blanket of snow coating every house made the buildings positively indistinguishable. The bushes along the road were completely covered in white too and it must’ve snowed while he was in class because there were only a few scattered footprints on the sidewalk. There were a few more paw prints though and Makoto was happy to see that his neighbourhood friends were still enjoying being outside even in this weather. It took him about fifteen minutes more than necessary to make it back to his apartment and he unlocked the door with shaky, numb fingers and closed it as soon as he got inside. 

It took a solid minute for the heat inside his apartment to start seeping through his clothes and when it finally started warming up his skin Makoto leaned against the kitchen counter for a while, savouring the feeling of regaining full control over his limbs. The second thing he noticed was that Haruka wasn’t in the apartment. Usually he’d greet Makoto with a soft smile and the smell of chlorine and grilled mackerel stuck in his clothes as soon he heard the door open. Since Makoto wasn’t greeted by either his boyfriend or mackerel that meant Haruka was still over at his own place. Makoto’s shoulders sagged at that realization, because honestly he wasn’t in the mood to be alone, to not be greeted with a mackerel smelling hug when he came home. Not at all. 

Being captain of a high school sports team did help teach him responsibility which he was usually very proud of even though he’d never say so. But now in college he discovered that very few people had been captains of high school sports teams and that even fewer had even the slightest sense of responsibility. At this point he was starting to drown in a flood of texts asking for class notes, homework or even what had happened in a class they had just that day. Sending several documents to about 15 people was stressful enough but then he had to explain the whole thing to at least three other students with varying levels of actual interest. On top of that he’d missed his train that day and on his way home through the cold he had slipped and dropped his binder. Most of his notes had fallen out and not only did he still have to reorganise them later but on the way home his fingers had started hurting from the cold. And why wasn’t Haruka there. He was always there. Why did he have to be at his own place just today? That meant dinner still had to be made and if Haruka was already asleep for some reason Makoto would have to eat cup noodles again.

Makoto felt his chest tighten painfully and he slipped down to sit on the floor with his back pressed against the counter. Class had been boring that day so he’d looked forward to spending the evening with Haruka. Then when he missed his train and had to stand in the cold he’d really started missing his best friend. Homework had been tough the last few days so Makoto really didn’t have time to cuddle or watch a movie or go swimming or do any of the other things they normally did together. He’d been planning this evening on the train ride home and the walk from the train station to his apartment and now it didn’t work out at all. When he squeezed his eyes shut they were burning. He felt ridiculous for crying now and honestly he could just call Haruka, after all he lived right next door and his fingers didn’t even hurt anymore, and yet he didn’t move. 

All of last week’s stress and disappointment about his friend’s absence finally crashed down on him and the first tears started spilling down his cheeks, even though his eyes were still screwed shut. Makoto drew his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly to his body, making it easier to muffle the sounds of his crying. Crying over such a minor reason was one thing but he didn’t want to actually start sobbing now. He was already embarrassed to be crying over all of this, even though nobody could hear him, but he couldn’t stop himself either. Makoto felt his whole body being consumed by missing Haruka and a crushing disappointment at his absence as shivers ran down Makoto’s spine. His chest was aching and tightening, making it progressively harder to cry silently. The tears felt hot and tingly on his cold cheeks and his knuckles had turned white with how tightly Makoto was clutching the fabric of his jeans. Suddenly he felt like he was freezing again and he had the strong urge to just lie on the floor and sob, but he knew he really shouldn’t do that. The walls in this apartment complex were paper thin and as more and more tears kept escaping him he couldn’t do anything to stop his breath from hitching in his throat. The apartment was entirely silent except for Makoto’s failing attempts at crying quietly. He felt embarrassed at that which only made the crying worse and soon the first sobs came spilling out although they were muffled since Makoto had buried his head between his knees. With every sob his body shook violently and it was progressively getting harder for him to breathe. Struck with a sudden realization he felt around for his phone in the pocket of his coat. With shaking hands he selected Haruka’s number, pressing call and turning the on the speakers, not sure if he would be able to hold the phone much longer. 

It didn’t take long for Haruka’s clear voice to sound through the speakers, it never really did.  
“Makoto? Are you home yet?" he asked after Makoto failed to get anything out by himself. It was hard, but eventually he managed to choke out his best friend’s name. Nothing else came out as he was hit with another wave of sobs, but Haruka apparently didn’t need to hear anything more than his voice breaking. The call ended abruptly and not even half a minute later his apartment door opened. Makoto found himself weirdly scared of the loud sound of the opening door, hiding his face behind his legs and letting out a high pitched whine. The lump in his chest was aching painfully. 

Still put off by the loud sound and subconsciously trying to hide from it, he didn’t hear Haruka opening the kitchen door or coming in until he was crouching down in front of him. Suddenly Makoto was warm again, engulfed in the smell of chlorine and slightest tinge of mackerel from this morning.

If felt like his personal hell was breaking loose inside his chest, the feeling of Haruka squeezing him making him cry even harder than before. Suddenly Haruka was the only thing that mattered in the world and Makoto wanted nothing more than to just disappear into his friend’s chest and be protected. He was getting more and more frustrated with his size, trying to curl up and make himself smaller, pressing his body against Haruka’s chest. Haruka completely wrapped his arms around him in return, shielding his friend’s head by setting his own chin on the crown of his head. 

There was no stopping the tears and sobs now. Haruka’s smell and warmth tore any resistance there had been. Makoto felt relaxed and safe now and he was too tired and dizzy to stop them at this point. All he wanted to do was bury his face deeper in Haruka’s shoulder.  
Suddenly he felt himself being moved slightly. For a second Makoto thought he’d lost his balance and was falling sideward. To stay upright he gripped Haruka’s shirt tightly and whined again but then he shifted in the other direction and he realized what was happening. He relaxed again and, too tired to be embarrassed, he let his best friend rock him from side to side. There was no denying it made him feel at home and helped him calm down so there was really no point in stopping it. Haruka had seen him in every mood his head was able to produce and they’d known each other for so long that this wasn’t something Makoto had to be embarrassed about in front of him. 

The steady motion of being rocked back and forth was so soothing that soon the sobs ebbed down and the tears followed close after. And finally Makoto’s earlier anxiety did too and he was left feeling almost empty and kind of numb and definitely tired. He also realized how awkward their position was, with Haruka having to hug him while Makoto still had his legs pressed against his chest. Using up his last ounce of strength he shifted around to kneel in front of Haruka, making it easier for his friend to hug him tightly. 

Now that he had finally calmed down he could feel Haruka’s breath on his hair and the comfortable dim lighting of the almost dead light bulb covered everything in a soft yellow glow. The kitchen was warm and he could hear the quiet humming noise of the heater running in a desperate attempt to keep the whole apartment complex warm. He dully registered Haruka’s smell and the feeling of wet cloth pressed against his face. 

Makoto straightened his back and rubbed his hands over his eyes. They were itchy and dry and swollen from crying for so long and even though his head was pounding he felt relaxed and at ease. When he finally realized rubbing his eyes wouldn’t solve the problem Makoto opened them again to meet Haruka’s gaze. His best friend was crouching in front of him with his eyebrows drawn together in concern. 

“Thanks,” Makoto whispered and his voice came out husky. 

“Are you okay? Nothing happened, right?” Haruka looked mostly calm, his face stuck in the usual, stern expression but his eyes kept roaming Makoto’s body as if he was searching for injuries.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little stressed, I guess,” Makoto answered quietly. 

After that they sat in silence for a while. With closed eyes Makoto leaned back against the kitchen counter again, listening to the heater and the rustling of his coat. Haruka didn’t speak up again either. The only noise he made was the sound of him shifting around as he sat down in a more comfortable position on the linoleum floor. The minutes trickled by with them two of them just sitting side by side, recollecting themselves and calming down after what had happened, until both of them began to speak at once. 

“We should-“  
“Don’t you wanna-“

They looked at eacher other. Makoto would’ve laughed out loud if he wasn’t feeling so torn apart and sore but Haruka smiled softly as he got up and offered Makoto his hand. Weird, Makoto thought and smiled to himself. Now that they were in college and living alone their relationship had shifted and evened out. They both took care of each other now.

Makoto accepted Haruka’s hand and let himself be pulled up until he was standing on shaky legs. Haruka helped him get his coat off and shortly disappeared to to store it away in the closet out in the hallway. When he came back Makoto had already set up the kettle on the stove, an old relict he’d brought with him from his parents’ house. He should probably get something more modern soon but money was tight at the moment so it would have to do for now.  
Haruka wrapped his arms around Makoto from behind. He didn’t do things like this very often and it made a glowing warmth spread from the centre of Makoto’s chest and the corners of his mouth twitched upward. Physical affection still often took Haruka by surprise and usually he wasn’t the one to initiate anything, but for once he seemed to put the needs of his best friend above his own. Not to say he didn’t enjoy physical affection, he’d told Makoto so many times after he’d worried about forcing anything on his best friend, but he did feel strange taking the lead like this.  
Makoto relaxed against Haruka’s chest, felt his breath against his neck when Haruka laid his head down on his shoulder and squeezed him again. 

“I don’t know if I wanna have a poor delivery person out in this snow now,” Makoto mused.

Haruka huffed out a breath.  
“It’s okay,” he exclaimed although didn’t seem to want to let go of his friend anytime soon. “I’ll make something with what you have left. I’ve got some more stuff too, it’s fine.”

-

The only thing that was left was mackerel, obviously, but Makoto was happy about it. Mackerel was perfect now. It added to making him feel safe and at home again. That was just Haruka’s smell and soon his apartment smelled the way Haruka’s parents’ house used to smell. Like chlorine and mackerel. Only the faint smell of saltwater was gone which Makoto had only noticed once they’d already been in Tokyo for about a week. 

Now they were lying on the couch together, a movie playing in the background but neither of them was really paying attention. They were facing each other and Haruka had his arm slung around his friend’s waist and back. He’d pushed Makoto’s sweater up and was drawing circles on his skin with blunt fingernails. Makoto had his face pressed into the crook of Haruka’s neck and he kept drifting off into a light slumber before waking up seemingly at random, making him wonder if he’d even been asleep in the first place. He hadn’t been so relaxed in a long time knowing that he had no classes over the weekend and had turned in his last assignments today. Haruka didn’t have practice on Saturdays so he could sleep over and they could stay up as late as they wanted to although that wouldn’t be much longer if things continued the way they were going now. 

Makoto shifted and pressed himself up against Haruka’s body more. The heater was giving its all and they weren’t moving so they were both warm and sleepy. They’d turned off all the lights in the apartment so only the flickering of the TV occasionally illuminated Haruka’s features. He had his eyes closed and looked half asleep too, mouth hanging slightly open and his breathing regular. Makoto found himself studying Haruka’s face in the dim light of the TV. His cheek was smushed against the navy couch pillow they shared and Makoto couldn’t help but smile at how cute and innocent he looked. Haruka’s long, dark lashes seemingly touched his cheekbones and in the TV light they cast long, spidery shadows over his pale skin. While Makoto got a tan in no time Haruka’s skin seemed to never change colour, no matter how much time he spent outside in the pool. So of course especially now during the winter when he was training inside and barely left his apartment he was almost ghostly pale. 

Makoto reached out and lightly set his hand on Haruka’s warm cheek. The other opened his left eye a little then closed it again. Makoto took that as consent and continued to tuck a strand of Haruka’s dark hair behind his ear. His sharp cheekbones stood out even more now. 

“You’re so pretty,” Makoto suddenly whispered without really thinking about it. Haruka was obviously taken aback by that, his lips pulling into a series of weird shapes. It made Makoto laugh and Haruka removed his hand from Makoto’s back and placed it on his cheek.

“You’re very pretty too, Makoto. Please don’t doubt yourself.”

Makoto laughed at that too and then he craned his neck forward and pressed a chaste kiss to Haruka’s chapped lips.  
“Thank you, I won’t,” he laughed against Haruka’s lips who returned the kiss. They didn’t go any further than that, both of them seldom feeling very sexual and especially not after one of them had cried. They just pressed their lips together, eyes closed, lingering and savouring the feeling of their breaths ghosting over each other’s skin and the warmth they radiated.

Makoto felt light and happy which he often did now that they lived in Tokyo. Living alone wasn’t easy, especially the first two months had been confusing and hard with Makoto coming to the realization that he now had to shop and cook and clean completely by himself. It had proved to be hard even for someone as responsible as him and he’d relied on Haruka a lot in that time since he was already used to all of that after living alone for years. Since they spent most of their time in Makoto’s apartment anyways it was fine and saved them quite a bit of money.  
And yet being able to just lie down then and there without having to worry about his siblings or parents finding out was relaxing. It wasn’t Makoto feared being rejected by his parents if they found out but the thought of letting his parents in on his love life felt rather weird. Haruka’s and his relationship almost felt too intimate to let anyone in on it although most of their friends did know about it since you couldn’t possibly hide something like that for many months or even years. 

Makoto opened his eyes once again when their kiss had ended but their faces were still only inches apart from each other.

-

Not going to bed that night turned out to be a terrible mistake. Makoto woke up with a sore neck and back and his arm was numb because Haruka’s head had slipped off the pillow and now cut off the circulation in his right arm. He didn’t want to wake his peacefully sleeping friend but his arm really did hurt and so Makoto opted for draping himself over Haruka and pulling his arm out from underneath Haruka’s head in the process. Haruka didn’t react much although he did wake up, only letting out a light groan and accepting his fate. Makoto smiled groggily, bowed his head and kissed Haruka’s temple.  
He kind of felt like paying Haruka back after he had taken care of him so nicely the day before, so he started placing soft kisses all along his temple and forehead. In his sleep drunken state he couldn’t really think of anything else to do and Haruka seemed to like it judging by his loud exhale of air and the fact that he angled up his head to give Makoto better access. The light kisses continued from Haruka’s warm forehead down his slightly colder nose to his cheek and then his jaw. He wanted to kiss Haruka’s lips too but when he tried to his neck burst into shooting pain and he let out a whine, finally sit up.

Haruka watched him from below, deep blue eyes looking up at him sleepily. Haruka always had trouble getting up in the morning and the only way to get him out at a reasonable time was the promise of a long bath. While Makoto was still rubbing his neck Haruka began stretching on the couch, raising his arms above his head and adorably scrunching up his face. 

“You wanna get up,” Makoto asked with a raspy voice. Haruka didn’t answer; he just turned onto his side, facing Makoto and curling up into a ball. That mean no, obviously, so Makoto accepted and lay down again too despite wanting to bring up a quick relocation. Haruka didn’t look like he wanted to move though. He just opened his arms in a silent invitation. Makoto took it, snuggling himself into Haruka’s arms and drifting back off to sleep.


End file.
